Rise To Power: A Tom Riddle Story
by thelostgirl74
Summary: Tom Riddle has been having reoccurring dreams of a girl from the future named Jessie, only for her to show up at Hogwarts with amnesia. Riddle remains a mystery, the cutest boys in school turn out to be the school bullies and Riddle's gang. Things look up when she meets handsome quidditch captain Eric Taylor. Riddle has been watching her and has plans of his own.
1. Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

Red, yellow and gold colors filled the ceiling of the Great Hall reflecting the morning sunrise as Tom Riddle grabbed a seat next to his gang at the Slytherin table. Chatter of students echoed throughout the hall growing louder as they were waking up. The smell of coffee, eggs, and other breakfast items filled his nostrils but Riddle wasn't that hungry. He grabbed a croissant and tore off a piece of the delicate bread, shoving it into his mouth then pushed the rest of it away. Tom leaned his head on one of his hands, closing his eyes for only a moment. He yawned, rubbing at the dark circles under his eyes. The sound of soft laughter brought him around, his eyes snapped open as he realized he started to fall asleep at the table.

Riddle's gang watched him quietly which consisted of Abraxus Malfoy, Nott, Rosier, Lestrange, and Avery.

"Ahh, girl problems again Riddle?" Abraxas asked.

Riddle cocked his head slightly and gave Malfoy a tight smile as his gang broke into grins and giggles.

Avery shoved a piece of bacon in his mouth while talking, "Did you have the dream again Riddle?"

"What do you think?" Riddle snapped.

His gang went quiet and focused on their food as Riddle's foul mood could be felt across the room.

Suddenly the doors of the Great Hall burst open as a wild-eyed blonde girl stumbled forward, a scream fell from her lips as she fell to her knees.

All talking and laughter immediately halted as heads turned at the sight of the new girl, who didn't get up. Her breathing was ragged as soft sobs echoed through the room.

Malfoy noticed Riddle's eyes widen, his attention locked onto the girl. It was a look he rarely saw on Tom. "Riddle?"

Tom slowly rose from his chair, "It's her."

Riddle's eyes locked on the girl and for a moment he wondered if he was still asleep. Maybe the dream had finally changed. No, he was awake. He needed to get closer to be sure. Maybe it was just a coincidence, he couldn't tell. His gang was now watching him with curiosity.

Nobody in the hall moved as Riddle made his way to the center of the room and stopped in front of her. She was caked with dirt and her robes were torn with the familiar but faded colors of black and yellow. Tom noticed there was blood caked to the left side of her face, arm, and neck.

This wasn't possible, she was the spitting image of the girl that had been haunting him since his first year. The reoccurring dream echoed in his mind as the girl looked around.

Tom delved into her mind and sensed a mix of confusion and panic. Faded memories formed and fell apart, failing to tell him anything. It was definitely her though.

"You! It is you!" Riddle said.

Her wild gaze seemed to focus everywhere and nowhere as if she was attepting to figure out where she was. Her breathing quickened and a small whimper escaped her throat.

Riddle knelt beside the girl, taking her firmly by the arm. She was real.

Her head snapped up as he grabbed her arm but she didn't pull away. She locked eyes with Riddle and noticed him for the first time.

He didn't say a word, feeling her panic slowly fade.

She frowned in confusion at the boy with pale skin and dark hair.

"Who are you?" She asked. Her dry throat made her voice crack slightly.

He didn't answer, but his intense gaze made her look away and she seemed to take in more of her surroundings.

"It's morning? It was evening a second ago, I'm sure of it." She whispered.

"Jessie?" The question in his voice sounded close to an accusation.

Her body jerked at the name.

The room seemed to hold it's breath, watching their every move. A quiet set of footsteps echoed loudly in the silent room and stopped behind Riddle. Tom didn't need to look up to know who it was, he simply stood up and stepped aside.

"Are you all right dear?" He asked.

The girl looked up into the eyes of an older gentleman with kind eyes as he peered down with concern over his spectacles.

The girl struggled to speak, not knowing what answer to give and when she did her voice trembled, "I don't know. I can't remember anything."

* * *

 **This chapter has been re-edited on 10/31/19.**


	2. Chapter Two

The girl walked after the headmaster and the kindly professor as they arrived at the headmaster's office.

She had a strong sense of Deja vu the moment she arrived. This entire school seemed familiar somehow.

The headmaster sighed and sank heavily into a chair behind his desk. "I didn't get to finish my breakfast."

Dumbledore looked down at the timid looking girl, smiling with encouragement. "I'm sure the girl has had nothing to eat yet."

"Oh, I'm not hungry, thanks." She said.

"Yes, yes. Let's get this over with." Dippet said. "I'm Headmaster Dippet, this is Professor Dumbledore."

"What's your name?" Dumbledore asked.

"I'm sorry, I don't know." She said.

"You'll need to think of one then until your memory returns," Dumbledore said.

Her mind drifted back to the boy she met earlier. "Who was that dark-haired boy I first met?"

"That would be Tom Riddle." Dumbledore answered.

Riddle had called her Jessie. She wondered if he knew anything. She couldn't think of a name, so she went with the one Riddle had suggested. "I guess you can call me Jessie then."

Dipet looked at the girl silently a moment before speaking. "The question is, who are you? I'd know if you had ever come to this school before and you don't look the slightest bit familiar."

"Perhaps she can be enrolled in some classes until we get this sorted out." Dumbledore said.

"Classes? We don't know anything about this girl. Can she even cast any spells? She could be a squib for all we know or a spy." Dippet said.

 _Squib? Spy? I'm sitting right here._ Jessie thought.

"If she was a squib she wouldn't be wearing Hufflepuff robes, therefore she's been to Hogwarts before. Since we don't recognize her, it's possible she might be from another time."

Jessie's head snapped up at the mention of time travel. She was tempted to ask what year it was as she realized she didn't know but didn't want to risk being kicked out of school. Dippet already didn't like her.

"Her memory must be affected by trauma. Also, I don't think it's fair to accuse her of being a spy just yet is there? She's been through enough from what we can tell." Dumbledore looked at her with a smile. "Well, there's only one way to find out."

Dippet nodded and watched as Dumbledore reached for the sorting hat, gesturing with a smile for the girl to have a seat.

The hat came to life as it was placed on her head. "Hmm, not a lot to go on is there? No memories whatsoever. She has plenty of personality though."

She rolled her eyes about to reply, but the hat boomed out, "Hufflepuff!"

"Fine, but can she even read?" Headmaster Dippet asked.

"What!?" Jessie blurted out. What kind of question was that?

Dippet placed a book in front of her. "What does that say?"

She glared at him a moment before looking down at the title. "Herbology for beginners."

He sighed, looking through files and classes. He looked at her a moment before grabbing a quill and parchment and began scribbling something down.

"Are you injured?" Dumbledore asked.

Jessie shook her head, forgetting for a moment the blood caked to her. "No, I'm fine thanks."

"You seemed distraught when you first arrived." Dumbledore said.

She thought a moment. "I think I was running from something or someone. I was sure it was evening when I arrived. Other than that, I'm not sure."

"We should let her rest and get cleaned up." Dumbledore suggested.

"We don't have a spare robe at the moment. We'll hunt one down later. She'll be fine Dumbledore. I'll put her in her own age group for now. Sadly most of the fourth year Hufflepuff classes are full. Half of your classes will have to be shared with the Gryffindors and Slytherins I'm afraid. Too many Hufflepuff students as it is."

Jessie didn't say anything and let him continue.

"I'll send someone at lunch to show you around. You'll just have to make do with what you got for now." He shoved the schedule at Jessie.

She looked it over. History of Magic was her first class. Herbology and Transfiguration seemed to be her only classes with other Hufflepuffs. She was happy that she had Transfiguration with Dumbledore though.

"Do you have a wand?" Dippet asked.

She checked herself over and shook her head. The headmaster sighed and wrote another list down, then gave it to Dumbledore.

"Add a wand to the list. Nothing custom made, just buy whatever is cheapest along with a couple of robes." Dippet said.

Dumbledore nodded, pocketing the list.

Dippet looked at Jessie again. "Try to scrounge up some books from the professors. If they don't have any, just share with a student. The rest we can buy used."

"What happens if I don't get my memory back?" Jessie asked.

"If we can't find any living relatives by summer, you will have to be sent to the orphanage in London. I believe we have another student that goes there."

Dumbledore nodded to the door with a smile when Dipet didn't look up, letting her know the conversation was over. Jessie got up and walked out of the room.

"I'll see you in Transfiguration Jessie." Dumbledore smiled.

Jessie smiled back politely and headed off to her first class. She sighed as she left, glad to be out of there. She thought back to what Dumbledore suggested. Could she really be a time traveler? How did she arrive then? Why did she lose her memories? There seemed to be too many questions and no answers. It was odd having no memories of her past. Her entire world at the moment seemed to be Hogwarts.

She was halfway to History of Magic when she realized she had been walking there absently. She knew the layout of Hogwarts.

She had definitely been here before.


	3. Chapter Three

Jessie stuck out like a sore thumb when she arrived as she was the only Hufflepuff in the entire class, and she was late for History of Magic.

The professor was going over the goblin rebellion with his back turned as Jessie stood in the doorway uncertainly. He was a young looking professor with glasses and a monotone voice. Most of the students didn't notice her come in and half looked like they were falling asleep. A few were asleep.

Only one desk was available and it was surrounded by Slytherin boys. Feeling like she was walking into enemy territory she stepped forward and tried to get the teachers attention.

"Um excuse me," Jessie said.

A few heads turned her way as she stopped at the empty desk.

Jessie tried raising her voice a little. "Hi."

A few more students turned and stared at her. Three rows to her right she spotted Tom Riddle sitting near the front of the class. He looked her way and she waited for him to wave or something but he simply went back to his book. Finally, she gave up and sat down as the professor continued to ignore her. The Slytherin boys who sat around her weren't bad looking she noticed.

"What's a Hufflepuff doing here?" The Slytherin boy in front of her blurted out.

The entire class turned and stared at Jessie as a few snickers echoed through the room.

The teacher finally turned around. "Quiet everyone! Who are you?"

"Um... Jessie."

He motioned for her to stand up.

Jessie felt herself blush as she tried to speak up. "I'm Jessie. I'm new."

"What?" The professor asked.

Jessie looked the teacher over and paused, there was something familiar about him. For some odd reason, she kept picturing him as a floating elderly ghost.

"Who are you?" Jessie asked.

The teacher looked offended. "I'm professor Binns. Now, what is your last name?"

A million possibilities ran through her mind and with everyone watching she couldn't think of a single last name. Jessie looked over at Tom Riddle.

"Tom..." The words seemed to come out of her mouth without her consent.

"What?" The professor asked.

"Tom... Thomas. I'm Jessie Thomas." She blurted out.

The professor simply went back to lecturing about the goblin rebellion.

Riddle smirked but didn't look over at her. She inwardly flinched, hoping Riddle didn't notice and took her seat.

"Isn't Jessie a boys name?" The Slytherin to her left said.

"It's a boys' and a girls' name," Jessie said.

"What, did you run into a vampire this morning or something?" A platinum haired Slytherin to her right asked.

She then realized she could have stopped off at the bathroom and washed the dirt and blood off. She must look quite a sight.

"It's not my blood." Jessie smiled.

"Yeah who'd you kill?" The Slytherin in front of platinum-hair asked.

"Avery, she's a Hufflepuff," Platinum hair said, "She probably hugged him to death."

The boys snickered making Jessie blush. She felt a poke from behind. A small, sprightly looking Slytherin boy with light brown hair looked her over before asking loudly, "That is the ugliest robe I've ever seen. Where did you get it? The trash?"

Jessie felt her temper rise. "Your mother gave it to me actually. Apparently, it was her best robe."

His face fell and his eyes lit with rage but he said nothing. The other Slytherin boys around her all froze. Platinum hair just looked at her in shock, then back to the angry looking Slytherin behind her as if worried he might go off any second. The Slytherin in front of her narrowed his eyes at her. The boy to her left just shook his head and avoided eye contact with both of them.

The one named Avery smirked at her and shook his head.

The bell rang making Jessie jump slightly.

It turned out all those cute Slytherin boys were bullies and all those bullies were friends. They all gathered around her desk as everyone hurried past them with their eyes down. Jessie froze uncertainly and bit her lip.

Avery leaned his face in close to hers, brushing her lips with his thumb. He sighed as Jessie felt his warm breath on her face. "You better watch your mouth little Hufflepuff. Going to have to curse you."

Platinum hair clicked his tongue at her as they all slowly shuffled out of the room.

Jessie felt herself relax a little.

"You really don't want to make enemies with those guys." A Gryffindor boy with dark hair and glasses said.

Jessie looked up at the only other student in the room. "Sorry?"

"You see the boy that was sitting in front of you was Lestrange, the two to your right was Malfoy and Avery, the one to your left was Nott and the one you insulted behind you was Rosier. They're a gang that runs around together. Trust me, you don't want to make enemies out of them. I'm Charlus Potter by the way."

"Thanks for the tip. I'm Jessie. Don't you need your glasses?" She watched him take them off and pocket them.

He shrugged. "They're just reading glasses."

She watched him leave as a Gryffindor girl met him in the doorway. He smiled flirtatiously as he put an arm around her waist and led her down the hallway.

This time she finally did stop off at the bathroom. She looked into the mirror as an unfamiliar face of a 14-year-old girl starred back. She wondered about the blood for a second before washing it all off. Jessie felt exhausted but looked a bit better as she headed off to Care of Magical Creatures.


	4. Chapter Four

As Jessie stood in the Great Hall looking around for her guide, a boy came running up to her wearing Hufflepuff robes.

"Jessie?" He asked.

She smiled politely and nodded.

"I'm Jeremy Peterson." He said.

He gave her such a smile that it melted away the stress from her day. Then to her surprise, he threw his arms around her in a warm hug that nearly brought tears to her eyes.

"Sorry. I hug everyone." Jeremy said as he pulled away.

"It's okay. Um, should we eat first?" Jessie asked.

Jeremy turned and grabbed a plate of sandwiches. He took one and offered Jessie one. "We can eat it on the go if that's okay."

She nodded and took a turkey sandwich. Jeremy put the plate back as Jessie followed him out of the Great Hall.

"You can always sit by me at lunch if you'd like. You probably won't have any trouble making friends here though."

"Thanks." Jessie smiled.

They paused as a tall Gryffindor boy leaned up against the wall watching Jessie.

"Who's that?" Jessie whispered.

As if on cue, the Gryffindor boy headed over to them and nodded. "Hey. I'm Eric Taylor."

Jessie stared at Eric for a moment before speaking. The boy was taller than herself, light brown hair with muscular arms and incredibly handsome. "I"m...um..."

"Hi, I'm Jessie." Jeremy whispered in her ear playfully.

Jessie elbowed Jeremy lightly. "Jessie Thomas."

Eric smiled with a soft chuckle. "So you're the new girl."

Jessie only nodded.

"I've been showing her around, she hasn't got settled in yet though." Jeremy said.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Eric apologized, "I'll let you get back to your tour."

"I hope to see you around," Jessie said.

"Me too." He grinned, "You going to my game tomorrow night?"

"You're on the Quiddich team?" Jessie asked.

Eric nodded, "Chaser."

"He's also kinda in charge," Jeremy said.

Eric smiled with a blush, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You're the Gryffindor Captain?" Jessie asked.

Eric smiled and nodded.

"I'll be there and cheer you on then," Jessie promised.

"I'll look for you," Eric promised before nodding and excusing himself down the hall.

Jessie stared happily for a moment into space before coming to her senses and smacking Jeremy in the chest.

Jeremy grabbed his chest playfully and fell to his knees in mock pain.

"Why didn't you stop me? I haven't even taken a shower yet. I must look atrocious."

Jeremy laughed, getting back up. "I'm sorry. You're not atrocious by the way. Did you see the way Taylor was smiling at you?"

Jessie felt herself blush and shook her head smiling. "Okay, okay. Let's just go please."

Jeremy ran to catch up as Jessie hurried away.

"Come on, show me to our common room. My new stuff is supposed to be there. I really need to shower and relax." Jessie said.

Jessie adored the Hufflepuff common room. It was so bright and friendly. Plants decorated the room as a soft breeze blew through some open windows. Jeremy waited as she went to check out the girl's dorms.

Jessie must have run into the wrong one as there were no empty beds. She spotted one of the Hufflepuff girls who turned to her curiously.

"Excuse me. Do you know which room my stuff was placed? I'm the new girl." Jessie asked.

The girl shrugged apologetically. "Sorry."

She went from room to room, unable to find a bed. Maybe her stuff hadn't arrived yet.

Jeremy's smile faded as Jessie came back with a frown.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I can't find which room I'm supposed to be in. They're all full." Jessie said.

"You'll have to go back to the Headmaster's office. Maybe there was some confusion and your stuff was sent to the wrong dorm?" Jeremy suggested.

Jessie sighed, not liking the thought of returning to Dippet.

Jeremy looked up as two Hufflepuff girls came into the common room chatting. Jeremy took Jessie's hand and nodded with his head for her to follow.

"Hey, Amanda." Jeremy greeted a dark-skinned Hufflepuff.

"Jeremy!" She greeted him with a hug.

"This is Jessie. She doesn't have a bed yet and needs a shower." Jeremy said.

The girl looked at Jessie wide-eyed and before Jessie say anything Amanda ran upstairs. After a few minutes, she came back down with an extra robe, towel and everything she needed for a shower.

Jessie almost cried.

"Wow, thanks," Jessie said. "And it's nice to meet you by the way."

The girl smiled warmly, "No problem. Go on, go take your shower."

Jessie sighed with relief and closed her eyes, letting the hot water hit her and took her time since the next class was a study period for her. She felt like a whole new person by the time she was done. Now to see about her stuff and a room.

She was smiling, thinking of Eric with a dreamy smile on her lips and missed the incantation that hit her from behind.

"Locomotor Wibbly." A boy's voice spoke out.

Jessie's legs wobbled badly before she went landing on the ground with a crash.

The sound of laughter echoed all around her as Lestrange, Rosier, Avery, Nott, and Malfoy walked past her.

"Good one," Nott said.

Jessie watched the boys passed her by and disappeared into a classroom.

When she could walk again, she got back up, brushed herself off and nearly ran all the way to the headmaster's office. She knocked on the door, waiting for an answer.

"Come in." A voice said.

There was no password as the door was unlocked.

Dippet looked up briefly at his visitor then went back to writing. "Oh, it's you. How are you settling in? Have a seat."

Jessie sat down in the chair. "That's the problem, I went into the Hufflepuff dorms and couldn't find a bed or any of my stuff. Unless it hasn't arrived yet."

"Of course you couldn't find a room. I told you before that Hufflepuff was overcrowded. You will be staying in the Slytherin dorms for the rest of the year."

"What?" Jessie screeched.

Dippet looked up sharply at her. "Problem?"

"Can't you stick me in Gryffindor or something?" Jessie said.

"No," Dippett said, growing impatient. "I'm sorry but it's already been decided. Anything else?"

Jessie sat stunned. Should she mention the bullies? She feared retaliation more than anything. Though Dippet probably wouldn't care anyway. "No."

She got up quietly and headed to her next class.

Jessie walked in as every head turned in her direction.

"You're late miss..." A female professor said.

"Jessie Thomas. Sorry." She looked to the boys for a moment, then hurried and looked away. "I had to see the headmaster about my dorms."

The professor nodded. "All right, but let's not make a habit of being late. Take a seat behind Lestrange."

She spotted Riddle, but he ignored her completely.

Jessie took an empty seat, all surrounded by the same Slytherin boys. Lestrange sat in front of her, Rosier was behind her. To her right was Avery and Malfoy and to her left was Nott. All turned and were watching her.

"Have a nice trip?" Malfoy asked as the rest broke into soft laughter.

"Very funny," Jessie muttered.

Lestrange whistled at her, "Well, someone cleans up nicely," He said.

"I took a shower." Jessie shrugged.

"Did you get all wet just for us?" Avery asked. The others chuckled, Jessie blushed feeling herself turn bright red and shrank into her chair wishing she was invisible.

This was going to be a long year.

When the class was dismissed, Jessie was the first to leave and hurried out. Luckily the next class was shared with fellow Hufflepuffs and no Slytherins.


End file.
